Scarecrow Crunch

It's autumn!  Autumn is one of my favorite times of year.  Pumpkin flavored everything, the changing colors of nature, football in full swing...  Sigh.  So lovely!

Speaking of snacks (and the non-sequitur award goes to...), have you heard of something called "Scarecrow Crunch"?  Well, if you haven't you should.

It's absurdly easy, a breeze to throw together, and is great for a game day snack.

Low Carb, Grain Free Tortillas

Adapted from this recipe by Danielle Walker at AgainstAllGrain.com

My journey into the world of living a low-carb lifestyle has been bumpy at times.  Mr. Pihl has been patient and supportive through it all, thank goodness.  So far he's been okay with eating the bulk of our meals with a fork.

Wow.  That sounded primitive.

What I mean is:  No pizza crust?  Make a pizza casserole.  No tortillas?  Make a taco salad.

Get the idea?  Forks.  It's what we use for dinner.

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Yesterday I wrote a post about the best way I've found to prepare spaghetti squash.

I simply love how versatile this stuff is.

Spaghetti and meatballs.  Lemon, parsley, and olive oil.  Chicken and a cream sauce.  "Macaroni" and cheese.  Pasta florentine.  Butter and garlic with shrimp scampi.

How I Cook Spaghetti Squash

If you're a pasta lover (like me) but are also trying to work around a low carb diet (like me), I'm about to become your new best friend.

No joke.

Meet... spaghetti squash.

It's simple (though mildly time-consuming) to prepare for recipes, but if you're a pasta lover (like me) it's totally worth the wait.

Low-Carb "Mac" and Cheese

Mr. Pihl worked late at the pharmacy yesterday which meant that I leapt on the opportunity to experiment with dinner.   Oh my, was it a success!  

After discovering this recipe for "mac" and cheese made with cauliflower, I found this recipe by Carnaldish which added an oh-so-decadent fancy twist to traditional macaroni and cheese.  After brainstorming my approach, I decided to make a low-carb love child of the two recipes.

It was ooey.

It was gooey.

It was savory and superb.

It was everything an adult-ish version of macaroni and cheese should be.

Spicy Meatballs With Andouille Sausage

My dad takes great pride in having perfected the perfect man-gathering-friendly food.  

Anybody can do chips and dip.

Anybody can throw a bag of lil' smokies into a slow cooker.

But my dad?  He's pro.  Pro, unlike his accident-prone daughter who made these gems of deliciousness only to botch the photo due to a certain knife-related incident.

Tell you what... You make them and send me a photo, and then I'll share all of your lovely photos on Pihling Kansas.